Diego Lopes reveals talks with the UFC for lightweight fights, reason behind his move
UFC featherweight staple Diego Lopes, fresh off a thunderous knockout win, seems eager to make a mark at a higher weight class.
Diego Lopes has opened up about his plans to compete at a higher weight class, the lightweight division, to be specific.
Additionally, the knockout artist asserted that the UFC are on board with his plans. Lopes also highlighted why he's choosing to move up in weight despite being the No. 2-ranked contender in the UFC featherweight division.
Diego Lopes is coming off an impressive win at UFC Freedom 250, and he's eyeing lightweight fights
Diego Lopes's most recent octagon appearance witnessed him secure a spectacular knockout victory against Steve Garcia. It was the opening fight of the historic UFC Freedom 250 event, which went down at the White House in Washington on June 14.
As of this time, Lopes holds the No. 2 spot in both the UFC's official Meta rankings as well as the media rankings listed on the official UFC website. The Garcia matchup was a featherweight clash, and Lopes now seems interested in making his lightweight divisional debut.
Diego Lopes recounts talks with the UFC, reason behind his seeking lightweight matchups
During a recent appearance on MMA Junkie, Diego Lopes suggested that he's tall enough, at 5'11", to compete with the best in the UFC lightweight division. He also implied that he possesses the frame to add weight optimally and a few dietary changes could help him put on the requisite weight.
The 31-year-old has primarily competed at featherweight in his professional MMA career, with a few catchweight matchups and even a bantamweight bout.
Well, Lopes seemed to suggest that he isn't exiting the featherweight division permanently but believes that he's more likely to get a title shot at lightweight sooner. That's because he's already faced and lost to the reigning UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski twice.
Lopes stated, "Yeah. So, I want to move to '55 (lightweight) to make a couple of fights. I really like the idea... I just lost two times to (Alexander) Volkanovski. He's still here in the division. I don't think I have the shot for the title soon."
Moreover, Lopes indicated that he didn't care if he fought a lower-ranked opponent, which is why he fought lower-ranked foes twice after his title fights against Volkanovski.
For context, Lopes first fought Volkanovski for the vacant UFC featherweight title in April of 2025, losing via unanimous decision. The Brazil-born Mexico-based combatant returned to the win column in his next fight, stopping Jean Silva via second-round TKO in September of 2025.
Following that, Lopes challenged Volkanovski for the featherweight belt in February of this year, but he suffered a unanimous decision defeat again. He bounced back by beating Steve Garcia via second-round KO at UFC Freedom 250 earlier this month.
Expounding upon his imminent move to lightweight, Lopes explained that he's spoken about it to the UFC, who he implied were supportive of his plan. Lopes said, "This week I talk with UFC about this. UFC like the idea, too."
Furthermore, when asked if he'd like matchups against exciting lightweight contenders such as Dan Hooker, Mauricio Ruffy, and Charles Oliveira, Lopes emphasized that he's open to all opponents in the top-five, perhaps even the top-seven at lightweight.
Watch Diego Lopes address his lightweight plans below (*comments at the 1:30-minute mark of the video):
